Planning for Summer

We seem to have shot right through the spring season and are now looking at our trees in fill leave and vigorously growing with watering and fertilizing being our major chores.  There is always pruning and styling concerns and of course the ever present question of "what was it I was intending to do with this tree?" But that is why we enjoy this hobby, always something to do or think about as we complete our daily visit with each tree.

Our May program on fertilizing and making POO POO Balls was not well attended with only 3 people attending besides the instructors.  We made lots of POO POO Balls with the materials we had prepared in advance and so we will be selling them (once they have finished curing) at BSOP meetings and functions in the future.  So if you are interested, contact Scott Tice or Keith Wingfield by phone or email or in person at one of our meetings to place an order.

Our June 16th (from 12:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.) Mentorship program will be a field trip to Wee Tree Farms where Diane Lund will be our host.  This was the preference of those who responded about a location to visit.  Besides her retail outlet at Garland Nursery (just a few minutes from Wee Tree Farms) Diane can offer plants, tools, soils, pots, wire, apparel and much more at her main operation.  We will be discussing plant selection (nursery pot material as well as field grown and pre-bonsai materials), pots selection, plant care and next season preparations.  Everyone, interested party, new member, old hands, semi-retired old hands and "I do not need anymore trees" members are welcome.  Diane will be providing cold drinks, so you are welcome to bring a light lunch and  make an afternoon of it.

Directions to  Diane's Wee Tree operation is as follows:  the address is 23642 Pearson Place, Philomath, Oregon 97370.  Phone number is 1-800-638-1098 and email is diane@weetree.com . Take highway 99W through Corvalis.  South of Corvalis, turn right onto HWY 20 and go through Philomath.  Approxinately 4 miles east of Philomath, turn right on Kings Valey HWY 223.  Stay on Kings Valley Hwy. to Priest Road (just after you cross Mary's River).  Turn Left on Priest Road and then turn left onto Pearson Place.  Pearson Place forks, so stay to your right.  Diane's facility is on your left.  (Map Quest can provide you with specific mileage markers).

Members interested in attending please contact Keith Wingfield via email. If there is interest in car pooling, I can also make some recommendations for locations to meet at.

As this will be our last Mentorship Program meeting before our summer break, if you have any request for fall topics or ideas you would like us to consider, please feel free to let me know.  Over the summer break, I will be asking several of the members who have volunteered to assist with the Mentorship Program this year to meet with me to review the program, the topics and offerings, materials we have prepared for distribution and the structure to see if there are improvements we can make or changes we need to consider to make improvements to the program or how we present the program on behalf of BSOP.  If you have any suggestions please let me hear from you.

Before I bid you all a happy summer, some thoughts for you to ponder about your trees over the summer:  Start planning now for what you would like to do with your tree next spring; Bonsai requires patience, so study your tree over the summer to observe how it is changing; take some pictures of your trees for reference next spring; remember that what you do this season determines what you will be working with next year, so maintain the fertilizing, watering, weeding and spraying regiment that best suits the current stage of your tree and the next level you want to get to; and most of all when those hot summer days get here (we can only hope!) remember to take some time to quietly enjoy the beauty of you trees and the peace they can bring to you.

Have a Happy and Safe Summer.
Best Regards,
Keith